:: notes from smalltown, sc ::

today we visited 92 year old maunga buck.  as many of you know, she is famous for asking, "julie, you ain't got no boyfriend, yet?" when she sees me.  (note that i have never gone by the name "julie.") 

last time i saw her, i actually did have a boyfriend and it was the one time in the past 10 or so years that she didn't ask.  well, today i turned to my sister and whispered, "she's gonna ask...wait for it..."

a minute later she pipes up, "juuulie, you ain't never gone get married, are you?  don't look that way."

kelley jumped in and said, "you don't want her to settle, do you?"  the look on her face was a bit like, "well, yeah, kind of." 

i just said, "i'm married to Jesus" and went back to talking to the delusional woman by the piano who thought she was going to be home by 6. 

(i hope that she isn't "home" by 6...they already had one death this week.  and that was maunga's roommate - whose husband, i believe, was the tv repairman in joanna when dad was growing up.) 

a little while later i was putting my hair up (because it was 108 degrees in there) and maunga said, "julie, what are you doing to your hair?"  i said that i was pulling it back because i was hot.  she said, "law, you need to run a comb through it. ha ha ha."  then, "i ain't never seen a head of hair like that." 

so.  um.  yeah. 

:: for my eyes only... ::

...and yours if you need it. 


this started out as a status update on facebook, but i decided to give it more permanence here...for me.  because i'll probably need this reminder sometime.  sometimes these things are for me, and sometimes they are for you.  but mostly they are for me.  and sometimes you.


this has been a rough week for me - physically and emotionally.  a broken toe, a sore mouth, a crappy situation with a friend, work stress...

but the hardest part, emotionally, has been struggling with the fact that my life is pretty stinking awesome and i feel bad ever feeling bad about the little things that go wrong.

so i canceled the pity party and took initiative to right the things i could right and give up trying to control things i have no control over.

it's amazing how quickly your attitude can adjust when you focus your heart in the right place.



oh, and also.  i am immensely grateful for the people who have been there for me through the crud this week.  the tough love, the gentle love, the True love.  thank you for not coming to the party.  :-)

:: letters home - favorite son ::

 

9 April 1945

Dear Mamma,

Well here is your favorite son again.  I haven't had as much time to write as I would like but maybe before so very long.  I can't see how this war can last so very much longer & it would be over this month, I hope.  Wouldn't it be funny if it should end on my birthday?  If we get some nice weather so that the air corps can operate it will speed things up an awful bit. 

You said in your last letter that I never mentioned receiving your letters.  I'm sorry if I haven't but then you'll have to remember that I have been unusually busy and my letter writing hasn't been under the best of conditions.  I'll try to tell you each time that I get one of your letters but if I forget don't think that I don't appreciate & enjoy them just the same.  I haven't received a package in some time now but should get one any day now.  I could really go for some fried chicken, say about a gallon can of it.  How to you like the way my German pen writes?  I have 3 now all brand new. 

Lots of love

Arthur Jr.

:: grandmother advice ::

cute project (despite many typos and grammatical errors!). this is one of my favs.

behance.net

for some reason, it made me think of the last few years of my grandmother's life when she became a huge fan of TLC's what not to wear. far from a fashionista, maunga would watch the show and (very critically) judge the women & men who had agreed to have their wardrobes trashed and closets restocked. she also was quite opposed the style (or lack thereof) of hilary clinton and considered nominating mrs clinton for a spot on WNTW. so stinking funny.

:: letters home - differences ::

Dear Mama,

Well, here's your boy again and he is just fine. How is everything going back home? I surely wish that I were home to enjoy some of that spring weather that I hear that you have been having over there. We are having a little more sunshine here and it really feels good although it isn’t nearly as nice as that we get back home. The country over here doesn’t smell good in the spring like ours but then it stinks anyway all the time. They don’t have the plumbing here that we have back in the states & that helps stink the place up. They don’t have bath tubs or showers like we have back home either.

I slept pretty late to-day and didn’t get up until about 10 o’clock and really enjoyed it to the utmost. I think that I shall have to do that every day when I get home. Do you suppose that it could be arranged? I could also use some golden rod eggs. Will you tell me just how you are supposed to make them? I know that you boil the eggs and grate the yellow over the white paste like part but how do you make the white part? I’d like to make some and have the boys try them out.

Guess I had better close now and say so long.

Lots of love, Arthur

[april 1945]

:: letters home - on veterans day ::

9 april 1945

Dear Daddy,
Well here comes a short letter from boy. He has seen an awful lot of action lately but has not exactly killed any more Germans with his own hand (that he knows of) although he has fired several rounds of 76 M.M. high explosive into towns that they were in. They mean & fired some 88 MM's back at us but they aren't so hot as they didn't hit too close. I was right up there when the 1st & 9th joined the other day. We really did some traveling too believe me. I have lost an awful lot of sleep so you will know why I am so lazy when I get home.

I have seen so awfully pretty fireworks especially the night that I crossed the Rhine. I wish that you could have seen it. I'll never forget it as long as I live.

There are thousands & thousands of Russians and French that have been freed starting on their way back now. You should see these Russians as they walk back along the road. All of them are looking for cigarette butts and I give them the pkgs that I receive in my "K" rations. The French are much nicer dressed and much cleaner. The war is over for most of them & I wish that it were over for everyone. Tell everyone hello for me. Lots of love
Arthur Jr

:: a wandering defense ::

over a month since i last posted. terrible. inexcusable. except not. my excuses come in the forms of recently super-charged social life, fall touring & a busy work schedule, trips & adventures, wedding & birthday madness (in the best possible way).

and sheer slackness.

:: letters home - comforts of home ::

9 march 1945

Dear Mamma,
Well here is all of one full page of v-mail coming to you. I just wish that I could send you a present but they don't have very much over here & what they have is hard to get. I'll try to bring a trunk full of stuff home when I come if I can get by with it.

There really isn't very much to tell from over here except that I haven't been able to take a bath as often as I would like to. They just don't have as many baths as they need to have. I don't believe that they have ever used as many as we have back home. I haven't shaved in about three days and I need one so I'll shave to-morrow morning. I did have a mustache and took a picture of it but I have lost the film so I am just back to where I was before. I'll have to grow another one so that I can let you see how I look with it. I suppose that I can borrow a camera and take a picture of it as I lost mine. I hope that Lillie insured mine for I would like to have it replaced some day. I'd like to have a little different one when I get another one.

I have found a couple of good movie projectors that I believe I can pick up for nothing and if I can get it home I will do just that. I will see about that to-morrow morning. Tell everything & everyone I said "hello" I'll be glad when everything is all over and I can come home again.

Lots of love
Arthur

:: my weekend in photos ::

pool day #2 of 2.

:: letters home - for memorial day ::

it's been ages since i've posted one of poppy's letters home from war. it was a year ago yesterday that i posted the first. with memorial day comes many reminders and memories of my favorite soldier.

[click to enlarge]

14 FEB 1945
"ENGLAND"

Dear Mamma,
Well here comes a much delayed letter to you. We have been moving around quite a bit on maneuvers and I haven't been able to write as much as before due to lack of time. I have lost a little sleep but am doing O.K. now. My bed roll has really come in handy and so have my overshoes. I'm glad that I had Willie sew that blanket in my jacket for it is much warmer than it would be otherwise. I hope that we have no more cold weather here but I'm afraid that we will.

We had chicken to-night for supper and also last night for supper. One of the hens that they cleaned had fourteen eggs in her. One was a hard shell one and two soft shell. The rest were yellow ones that ranged in sizes from about half as large as an egg to about the size of a "BB". I had never seen that many in one chicken before.

The people here where we are staying usually ask us in every night to have some pie & coffee. I wish they had some good ole butter milk. I could use some cracklin corn bread. I haven't received any packages as yet, but expect to any day. Tell everyone I said "hello"

Lots of love
Arthur

:: my dear friends ::

my heart has been very full today. to the point where it kind of hurts...in a good way. i just made my second trip of the day to the grocery store and on the way the circumstances were just right for me to hear God speaking to me. this time, he wanted to talk about the friends in my life. and i listened (for a change). it was a little overwhelming and i had to take a few deep breaths before i could even walk into the store.

here's the thing. i realized that my absolute dearest friends are those who allow me the honor of serving them. God blessed me with a "servant's heart" as my sister and brother-in-law (two people i put in the "dearest friends" category) say. and some of my happiest and fullest moments in life are when i'm helping my friends in some way.

today i'm cooking for a friend whose father-in-law passed away last week and she & her husband just moved into a new house. a slightly overwhelming week, to say the least. she could have declined my offer for a (mostly) home cooked meal. but she didn't. and the gift of her acceptance put me in my kitchen on a beautiful Memorial Day, chopping (one of my favorite pastimes) anything that got in my way. most of what i've been making won't even make it to her house (per her request, not my refusal) but i've been working on fresh salsa, roasted red potatoes, broccoli salad, red cabbage slaw and who knows what else between now and dinner time.

in the middle of the joyous madness i got a message from another sweet friend. one who constantly tells me how special i am, despite how bad i am at reciprocating such kind affirmations. she came home early from the beach yesterday so she could relax at home and get ready for her work week. she spent this morning and part of the afternoon at the ER with her mom. my response was food first, then (closely followed, but followed, still) prayer. the order doesn't matter to her. and while she didn't accept my offer to come sit at the hospital with her or meet her at her mom's house to help get things in order, i know she will gladly accept (and even propose - an even better gift sometimes!) offers yet to come. including all this extra food i have sitting around now.

the situations aren't always so grim, yet they are often related to food. my best friends know that i want to feed them...and they let me.



thank you, my dear friends. i love you.

:: my weekend in photos ::

we heart all over NY.

:: my weekend in photos ::

[click to enlarge]

:: my sister ::

...is a pretty awesome person for many reasons, but the latest is this.

:: my weekend in photos ::

[click to enlarge]

took a little trip downtown with my sister and nephew for greenville's st baldrick's festivities on sunday. 122 people had their heads shaved and raised nearly $57,000 for childhood cancer research. one 7-year old girl raised $15,000 when she took over the fund-raising that her dad -- a deployed marine -- had begun! she and her mom sat bravely on stage, getting their locks trimmed together. when she pulled her daddy doll from under her apron and sat him in her lap, there was hardly a dry eye in the place.

:: sophisticat ::

this is booger. he likes to drink from a glass.

:: super bowl of popcorn (ceiling) ::

if it weren't for the mess, i think popcorn ceiling removal would be my new hobby. strangely gratifying.

:: Christmas gift! ::

this is the first white Christmas my town has gotten in my lifetime. loved the predictions, the anticipation, and then the excitement as the snow started falling. big, fat, wet flakes fell all through dinner, gift giving and the ride home.

i love giving Christmas gifts. it really is more fun for me than the getting. each year i end up having a favorite gift (that i'm giving to someone). the just-right gift that i can hardly wait to hand over. this year, i had quite a few in the running, but there was one in particular that had me excited and a little nervous.

i saw this deviled egg platter in the anthropologie catalog and immediately thought of my sister. deviled eggs are a staple at our big family meals and since my sister is usually the host of our holiday gatherings nowadays, i felt she should have a special egg platter. i thought that since it was from anthro, if she didn't like it, she could return it and buy something else (from her favorite store).

she saw the anthropologie box and knew it was for her. when it was her turn to open (youngest to oldest), she said (clutching the box), "i hope this is what i think it is!" my heart sank. she was so excited and this was such a random gift, i thought there was no way it was what she had in mind. "it wasn't something i asked for" she said. she opened the box and saw the tissue. "is it the egg platter?"

yay! she'd seen it in the catalog, pulled the picture and added it to her own, personal wish list. score! for weeks (months) i'd been trying to find something that would be a surprise. something she hadn't added to her Christmas list. but everything i came across that i knew she'd like, she went and bought for herself! so, with that, my hopeful favorite became my actual favorite.


i hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

:: letters home - a valentine for mamma ::

[click to enlarge]

5 Feb 1945

Dear Mamma

Just a card to let you know that I am thinking of you on Valentine's day.

Love
Arthur Jr

:: yes, please ::

my sister sent me a link to this yellow & gray infinity scarf. some of my favorite words, together. many more color combos - just click on the image to purchase and see more.